A Garda has told a court how the body of nanny Aoife Phelan was found stuffed in a barrel in a shallow grave.

Sergeant Liam Mulhall described how the 25-year-old’s body was hidden under rubbish and machinery parts in Capoley, Portlaoise.

He was giving evidence at the trial of Robert Corbet who has pleaded not guilty to the woman’s murder but has admitted killing her.

The Central Criminal Court heard Mr Corbet’s plea of manslaughter was not accepted by the DPP.

Sergeant Mulhall confirmed that on November 6 2012 he had recorded evidence that something had been placed in the ground beside the accused man’s home.

He said: “One could see a fresh disturbance of the gravel and evidence that something had been placed there.

“Garda Connell was driving a digger excavating that area.

“As we proceeded with the digger we came on several items that didn’t look to have been there for a long time. Broken blocks, tyres, lorry parts, bottles, cans and old torn clothes.

“As we got down further we noted there was a half inch of plywood covered with gravel. It was hard to remove. As the digger removed that piece of plywood it seemed to interfere with a barrel underneath and I saw the top fly off it.

“I observed a blue barrel underneath this sheet of plywood. The inside of it was red. There was a band on the top of the barrel which had loosened off and when I went down for closer inspection I saw what appeared to be a ladies shoe and jeans. There was also black plastic.

“I moved back the jeans and I saw what looked like a human leg.”

The body of Aoife Phelan is removed from a house at Timahoe Road in Port Laoise in November 2012 (Image: Colin Keegan, Collins, Dublin)

Under cross examination from Conor Devally SC, defending, Sgt Mulhall described the find as the “saddest and most gruesome discovery made”.

Aoife’s mum Betty Phelan told the court she worried for her child when she wasn’t answering her phone.

The mother of twelve said that it was “out of character” for Miss Phelan not to keep in touch.

She said: “It went straight to voicemail. On the 26 of October, no call came and I was very concerned at that stage. This was totally out of character for her.

“She told both Mick and myself that she was pregnant. Both of us did say to her ‘Aoife your 30 years old, your room is there for you.’ She was very happy.”

Under cross examination by Conor Devally SC, defending, Mrs Phelan confirmed that her daughter didn’t tell her much about her day-to-day life.

She said: “Any place she worked, she never discussed anything about what would have happened in those houses.”

Detective Garda Edel Hanley of Portlaoise Garda Station confirmed with Mr Devally that Miss Phelan had made a complaint to gardai in 2005.

Mr Devally confirmed that Miss Phelan had ‘done an act of self harm’ as a result of an incident that occurred in 2005 where Ms Phelan she was raped.

The court heard that Miss Phelan had been “deeply upset over the entire incident”.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and a jury of three women and nine men.